With the siege over with a predictable win, Alexander took control over the city. He cast out the old nobility that ruled the city and quickly put into effect his plans in order to complete the mission.
And after the 90 days, he had barely been able to complete, more due to the fact that the city was already in a bad state. The Noble house in charge of this city were incompetent or straight up just didn't care what happened in the city, as long as people still paid their taxes.
So Alexander had to mobilize most of the population to clean the city, construct and repair infrastructure, and enlist many into a city militia until he could create a police force.
It wasn't hard to get the peasants to follow him, considering how most of them viewed him as some sort of angel or champion of god.
In the end, he barely passed the mission with a population morale at 62%, which was much better than when he took the city at 34%. And so he got the rewards, 1000 Bellona points and the Tier 1 STC, and while he was at it, he also completed the other quest, to impress the goddess with a cultural landmark. This actually helped with morale.
He had a church constructed alongside a statue in front of it of the goddess Bellona. The mechanics under him were in charge of its construction.
And using the power of faith, he managed to further increase public morale.
With that, five years passed.
It felt painfully slow yet immensely fast. In the grand scale of this galaxy, five years meant nothing. Some sieges could easily last decades or even centuries to the point that the Imperium would completely forget that a planet was under siege due to records of it being destroyed or lost in their terribly inefficient archives where records that could greatly impact the strength and prosperity of the Imperium are lost away, forgotten.
Alexander had greatly expanded his territory. Now with three cities under his rule, and countless villages and forts.
He sat in his office in the palace that was the residence of the former nobility. Sitting at his desk which was personally made for his stature, Alexander read through paper scrolls of reports.
'The road infrastructure between the villages is nearly finished, and the city sewage project is about a third done. Crime is low, but we still have a manpower problem, we don't have enough skilled soldiers or laborers.'
'Trade seems to be getting back on its feet, though it's mostly just within controlled territory. And next is the-'
"How are you doing, my dear champion?"
His thoughts froze, he raised his head and looked to his left where his eyes met the goddess's eyes. The same goddess who brought him to this universe, seated on the edge of his desk.
"I'm quite busy, and it seems you aren't busy yourself, considering how often you visit."
"I'm a goddess, so I can do as I please!"
They continued to talk, occasionally having a playful banter while discussing some of the things of this world and his current progress.
Alex wouldn't admit it, but he truly enjoyed speaking with this strange goddess. He wasn't the type to believe and worship a god in his past life, and even now, knowing that gods truly existed, he still held that mindset. And though he didn't worship her, he had great respect and loyalty to her.
She was the one who gave him a second chance in life, she was the one who gave him these powers, and she even sometimes listens to his requests when he asks her if she could check up on his sister.
And then there was the fact that he was alone. Yes people followed him and were loyal to an almost extreme degree. He was still lonely. He had no family in this universe, and no one to call a friend. So with this goddess, he could truly speak as his true self instead of putting on an act.
"Anyway! How come you haven't used those points yet? You have a bunch saved up so why are you just sitting on them?"
"I just haven't had a reason to do so yet."
"Hmm…" She became quiet for a moment, before a grin grew on her face. "So, I just need to give you a reason to use them?"
A chill shot straight down his spine. Those words brought a great dread that he didn't wish to know.
"Let me rephrase my wording, I want to build up what I can without using points, so then I can buy the things that are not so easily obtainable. And of course I save some for emergencies, like if I suddenly need powerful reinforcements."
"..."
"Hmph! Fine then!"
Alex let out a quiet sigh, he couldn't help but feel that he dodged a bullet, a very very large bullet.
"Since your progress is slow, I'll give you a boost. Let's go to the mechanicus workshop!"
He didn't deny that progress was slow, it was almost painful how slow it was. They were barely just entering into an industrial revolution. They weren't even space capable, which was a death sentence in this universe. And so, Alex decided it was best to go along with his goddess's antics.
Both of them walked through the halls of the palace, the height difference between them was almost comical. Servants they passed would step aside and bow, but it seemed the newer staff had a look of shock on their face.
The goddess that was being worshipped and even had a massive church and statue built for her, was casually walking down the halls of the palace! The older staff was used to the sight since Bellona visited often out of boredom, but they still showed proper respect.
Finally, they made it to the front doors of the workshop. The entrance was guarded by two space marines, who opened the large double iron doors and stepped aside.
Entering the workshop, their ears were filled with the constant clanging of metal on metal, and large machine pistons. Inside was filled with crude steam engines that were used to power the many machinery that filled the workshop.
On the tables were the weapons being produced. Bellona walked over and picked up one of the finished products. The weapon was a mix between a halberd and a bolt-action rifle. Alongside it were numerous other gunpowder weapons, most still in an unfinished state.
Alex spoke up. "That is the standard issue weapon of our current military, or will be once we have an efficient production line."
"Hmm, it's decent for your current technological level." She set it back down. "Your progress is too slow, it's like watching paint dry on a wall."
"I don't really have any excuses other than I have no experience in managing a kingdom. Honestly I'm surprised I've done this well so far." Though he guessed that the reason he could keep up was due to the augmentations made to his body, more stamina, less sleeping and eating, and faster cognitive ability. He was truly a workhorse that any black company would want.
"My advice would be to expand your personnel. You have the points to get more techpriests or soldiers, plus you're still sitting on that STC."
"Very well, I'll give it some thought." He responded.
"Glad you understand! I was thinking that I might have to throw an ork warband at you."
His body stiffened at those words.
"Now time for the boost, I'll give your current techpriests a little increase in processing power." She snapped her fingers, and for a brief moment, a strange energy seemed to fill the entire workshop until it disappeared just as fast as it arrived.
"Alright I'm leaving! There are wars that need my attention!" And with that, she disappeared in a burst of light.
For a moment, nothing happened, then suddenly a techpriest who had been working on one of the larger machines clutched his head. The many cameras acting as his eyes glowed a violent red. "I have… an IDEA!!" He yelled out, then ran to another corner of the workshop, out of sight.
He stood there for a moment, thinking of what he should do next, ignoring the outburst of the techpriest. Then he opened the system shop. He was sitting on plenty of points, but due to a certain habit of hoarding that he developed from video games, he was afraid to spend them in the present. What if he needed them in the future? Then he should save them up for that situation. But if that situation never came, then the points would become useless since they would never be used.
As for the STC, it was a full STC instead of a fragment that only held a blueprint, but he couldn't even use it right now. It produced engines, how good those engines were, he wasn't sure, but it didn't matter because he couldn't even power the damn thing nor feed it the bare minimum materials.
Temporarily setting aside the STC and with a heavy heart, purchased more manpower. Ten more space marines and twenty more techpriests. He watched his points drain before his eyes before he got the confirmation notification.
Leaving the workshop, he went into one of the nearby courtyards and had it cleared, then summoned all thirty in front of him. As did the first few who he summoned, these people also bowed, getting down on one knee to show respect to the goddess's chosen.
He gave them their assignments and they dispersed. For now, he wouldn't be saving up his points, for he planned to speedrun the tech tree straight to the space age.